Telephone lock-out mechanism.



No. 794.370. PATBNTED JULY 11, 1905. T. MATHENY & R. G. M. HASTINGS. TELEPHONE LOOK-OUT MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 22, 1904.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

entors,

No. 794.370. PATENTED JULY 11, 1905. T. MATHENY & R. G. M. HASTING$.

TELEPHONE LOCK-=0UT MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 22, 1904.

a sums-sum 2.

Inventors V Witnesses 110.794.370. PATENTED JULY11,1905. T. MATHBNY & E. 0. M. HASTINGS. TELEPHONE LOCK-OUT MECHANISM.

APPLIOATIOH FILED JULY 22, 1904.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

Inventors omegs UNITED STATES Patented July 1 1, 1905.

PATENT UEETCE.

THURSTON MATHENY AND RUBEN O. M. HASTINGS, 0F ATHENS, OHIO.

TELEPHONE LOCK-OUT MECHANISM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 794,370, dated July 11, 1905.

Application filed July 22, 1904. Serial No. 217,697.

1'!) (LZZ who???) it may concern/.-

Be it known that we, TuURs'roN MATHENY and RUBEN O. M. HASTINGS, citizens of the United States, residing at Athens, in the county of Athens and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Telephone Lock-Out Mechanism, of which the following is aspecilication.

This invention relates to lock-out and similar mechanisms for telephones.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a lock-out means so constructed and arranged that when two subscribers are connected in the talking-circuit it will be impossible for any other person on the line to con nect his local talking-circuit to the main line, and thus overhear the conversation.

A further object of the invention is to con struct a receiver-hook-locking device that is partly manually controlled and partly under the control of eleotromagnets.

A still further object "of the invention is to provide a signaling and lock-out mechanism in which it is necessary for the subscriber to send his number to central before his talking-circuit can be connected to the main line, this being ofparticular value in toll systems.

A still further object of the invention is to arrange the system so that no subscriber can in any way be connected to the main line without the knowledge of central, and the central station may thus keep an accurate account of the number of times each subscribers telephone is used.

NVith these and other objects in view, as will more fully hereinafter appear, the invention consists of the novel construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that various changes in the form, proportions, size, and minor details of the structure may be made without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

1n the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a diagram of a telephone lock-out and calling system arranged in accordance with the invention. Fig. 2 is an elevation of the mechshowing the arrangement of the calling and cut-out mechanism. Fig. 6 is a detail per spective view of a portion of the selector-diskoperating mechanism. Fig. 7 is an elevation of the reverse side of the selecting-disk.

Similar characters of reference are employed to indicate corresponding parts throughout the several figures of the drawings.

The present invention is designed more particularly for use on party-lines of which the ordinary bridging bell system may be cited as an instance; but as the arrangement of the telephone-circuits, both main and local, and the connections of the receiver, transmitter, and other apparatus may be the same as that in ordinary use it has not been considered necessary to illustrate such a system in detail, the only portion of each local station shown being the receiver-hook.

In addition to the usual main line or lines of the talking-circuit a wire .1 is strung from station to station, connecting the several local stations and central station in series and having both ends grounded or connected by areturn wire, if an all-metallic circuit is necessary.

The receiver-hook A is of any ordinary type, and the connections in the switch-box of the telephone are those ordinarily employed in telephone systems where with the receiver on the hook the call-bell circuit is closed with the main line and the talking-circuit open, while on the removal of the receiver from the hook the calling-circuit is broken and the 10- cal talking-circuit is connected to the main line.

At one side of the switch-box at a point adjacent to the projecting portion of the receiver-hook is a horizontally-disposed shaft 2, mounted in suitable bearings and having its outer end projecting through the side wall of the switch-box and provided with an opcrating-handle 3. To this shaft is secured a small ratchet-wheel .4, and surrounding the shaft is a small compression-spring 5, normally tending to move the shaft and the bandle fully outward, the spring permitting the shaft to be pushed inward in the direction of its length when the mechanism is to be reset in the manner hereinafter described. The ratchet-wheel 4 is of a peculiar construction, (best illustrated in Fig. 6,) and it forms a part of a cylinder 6- the diameter of which is greater than the largest diameter of the ratchet-wheel, and between the periphery of the cylinder and the inclined sides of the ratchet-teeth are inclined shoulders or cams 7, which when the shaftis pushed inward will engage against the slightly-inclined face of a pawl 8, the pawl then riding out of engagement with the ratchet-teeth and bearing on the smooth peripheral surface of the cylinder 6, and when the shaft is released the spring again forces it outward and the ratchet-wheel is again engaged by the pawl. Mounted loosely on the cylindrical portion 6 ofthe ratchet-wheel is a disk 9, having a plurality of equidistantly-spaced notches 10, with which engages a pawl 11, tending to prevent backwark movement of the disk. The pawl 8 is mounted on a pivot-pin 12, projecting from the selector'disk 9. On the shaft 2 is a lug 12', adapted to engage a lever 13, which in turn engages one arm of a bell-crank lever 13*,the opposite arm of which is immediately under the pawl 11, so that when the shaft is pushed in the pawl 11 will be raised out of engagement with the teeth of the disk and permit reverse movement of said disk. To the selecting-disk is connected one end of a small spiral spring 14:, the opposite end of which is connected by a fixed pin 15, carried by the shaft or other fixed point, and this spring is wound up after turning of the selector-disk, and when the latter is released 1 the spring restores the disk to its initial position, which position is determined by aprojecting tooth 16, carried by the disk, and a stationary pin 17, carried by the casing and with which the tooth engages. To the outer end of the shaft 2 is secured a lever 18, nor- A I mally held by a spring 19 in engagement with the stop-pin 20, and limit of movement of the handle in the opposite direction is fixed by a stationary pin 21, also carried by the casing. The selector-disk 9 is provided with an annular' row of openings for the reception of one or more projecting pins or lugs 22. The number of pins employed corresponds to the number of the station-that is, station No. 1 would have one pin, station N0. 2 two pins, and so on. To avoid confusion on the drawings, only one pin is shown in Fig. 5. In the calling-line 1 of each of the telephone-stations are arranged independent contacts 24 and 25, normally engaged by a contact-arm 26, forming the longer arm of a bell-crank lever 27, and insulated from the body of the lever by a block 28, formed of vulcanized fiber or similar material. This lever is held up in engagement with contacts 24: and 25 by a suitable spring 29 and the continuity of the line is insured. crank lever is provided with a pivoted toe 30, operable in one direction; but when engaged and moved in the opposite direction the toe will transmit; the movement to the bell-crank lever. This toe is disposed in the path of movement of the pins 22, and each time the selector-disk is turned in a direction of the arm the bell-crank lever will be moved and the circuit will be broken at 24 25 and asignal sent to a central station in the manner hereinafter described. When the pin or lug passes beyond the toe, the spring 29 will again force the contact 26 into engagement with the contacts 2 1 and 25 and reestablish the circuit. In the operation of this particular portion of the mechanism, the parts being in normal position, with the tooth 16 in engagement with the pin 17, the lever 18 is pulled until it strikes against the pin 21. This movement is transmitted, through the ratchet-wheel 4 and pawl 8, to the selectordisk, and the latter receives movement to the extent of a single tooth, the locking-pawl 11 dropping into the next notch 10 and holding said disk from reverse movement. During this movement one of the pins 22 engages the toe 30 of the bell-crank lever and the contact 26 is moved to break the circuit. After the pin passes beyond the toe the spring 29 again moves the bell-crank lever to reestablish the circuit. The lever 18 is then released and is returned to normal position by means of the spring 19. This operation is repeated as many times as necessary. Thus if the number of the phone is 5 the operator will pull the lever five times, releasing it after each operation, and as the circuit will then be broken five times the central station will be notified that the subscriber at station No. 5 wishes to open communication. After communication has been established and it is desired to restore all of the parts to initial position the lever 18 and shaft 2 are pushed in against the resistance offered by the spring 5, and as cam-shoulder 7 engages against the pawl 8, the latter riding up on the enlarged cylindrical portion 6, it is wholly free from the ratchet-teeth, and at the same time this movement, much more extensive than that of the height of an ordinary ratchet-tooth, is transmitted, through the lever 13 and bellcrank 13", to the pawl 11, and the latter is raised from the notch 10, with which it has been in engagement, so that spring 14 being wound is free to return the disk back to its initial position or until the tooth 16 engages The shorter arm of the bell the stop-pin 17. When pressure on thehandle and shaft 2 is relieved, the spring 5 moves the shaft and ratchet-wheel outward and the two pawls are allowed to descend, one into engagement with the teeth of the ratchetwheel 4 and the other into a notch in the selector-disk 9.

At the central station is a relay 31, connected in the energized line 1 and normally attracting the .armature 32. To the relay is also connected a local calling-circuit 33, including a battery 34 and an alarm or indicator 35, this line being normally open. When the main line 1 is broken, the relay-magnet is deenergi-Zed and the armature 32 moves to close the alarm-circuit, so that the alarm or indicator 35 will be operated once, and this will be repeated as many times as the circuit is broken. The central indicator in the present instance is illustrated as in the form of an ordinary electromagnetic hell. but may be of any form for the sounding of an audible signal or the display of avisual signal. At a point adjacent to the receiver-hook A is a locking-yoke 36, having two arms, which are disposed, respectively, above and below the hook. At the upper and rear portion of the yoke is a shoulder 37, with which engages a pawl 38, that is connected to a rod 39 of the armature 40 of an electromagnet 41, and when the armature is attracted the pawl is raised and free from engagement with the lockingyoke, this being the normal position of all telephones on the line, inasmuch as the line 1, in which the electromagnets are connected, is normally energized. The lower arm of the yoke has a notch 43, in which engages an arm 44, mounted on a transverse shaft 45, that is provided at its opposite end, or at the right of the telephone switch-box, with an operatinghandle 46. When the receiver-hook is locked down and the yoke is held down, whether by the pawl 38 or by the manually-operable locking mechanism hereinafter described, it will be impossible to move the yoke 36; but when the yoke is lifted the arm may be moved by turning the handle 46. To the shaft is connected one terminal of the line 1, and the arm 44 normally engages a contact 49, carried by the casing, and to which the opposite end of the line 1 is connected, so that with the parts in normal positionthat is to say, with the arm 44 in the notch 43the main line l will be unbroken; but if any of the subscribers moves the arm 44 from engagement with the contact 49 the circuit will be broken and no person along that line can send a signal to central, and at the same time all of the electromagnets will be deenergized and the armatures will fall until the pawls 38 engage the shoulders 37 of the locking-yokes 36, thus rendering it impossible for any subscriber on the line to raise his receiver-hook while the line-wire 1 is broken at any point, and in operation advantage is taken of this by either the calling 01' the called subscriber, who after being connected will move the switch-arm 44 and by thus breaking the line render it impossible for any person to permit his receiverhook to move to such position as to connect the local talking-circuit in the main line, and thus overhear the conversation.

At the lower rear portion of the yoke 36 is a locking-shoulder 50, with which may engage a slidable locking-bar 51, one end of which is provided with a slot 52, through which extends a pin 53, carried by the casing. The opposite end of the bar is pivotally connected to an arm 55, fulcrumed at its lower end on a pin 56, and the upper end of said arm has a laterally-projecting tooth adapted to enter one of the notches 10 of the selector disk. slidable bars 51 will occupy a position immediately under the shoulder of the lockingyoke and will positively prevent upward movement of the receiver-hook, thus rendering it impossible for any subscriber to connect his talking-circuit to the main line without first moving the locking-bar 51. Normally the locking-bar is held in looking position by means of a small spring 58'.

The selector-disk is provided with an annular row of openings 60, into any one of which may be adjusted a pin 61, the location of the pin being determined by the number of the telephone; so that the disks may be all locking-bar 51. The opposite arm of the bell-- crank lever carries a toe 66, so pivoted as to be free for movement in one direction, but

when engaged by the pin 61 may be moved to transmit movement to the bell-crank lever 64, and this movement will be transmitted to the pin or lug 65, and thence to the lockingbolt 51, the latter being drawn in a direction away from the shoulder 50 until the free end of the arm enters one of the notches 10. This movement results in the unlocking'of the yoke 36, and the receiver-hook will then move forward under the influence of its usual elevating-spring when the receiver is removed from the hook. It is necessary, however,that each subscriber move his selector-disk for a number of times corresponding to the number of his telephone before the receiver-hook can be unlocked. If turned less than the proper number of times, the pin 61 will not be moved to position to effect unlocking of the bar 51, and movement for a greater number of times is prevented by the entrance of the Under normal conditions each of the e &

tooth of the arm 55 into a notch or recess of.

the selector-disk, the portion of the notch which receives this tooth being of such shape that when fully engaged the tooth will prevent the movement of the disk in either direction. It is thereforejnecessary for the person calling central to send the exact number,

of his telephone before connection can be made, and less number of signals will not suffice to unlock the receiver-hook.

On the stud 53 is pivoted a lever 70, having at one end a lug 71, adapted to engage behind the tooth 7 2, formed on the outer edge of the locking-bar 51, and the lug 71 is normally held down in engagement with the upper surface of the locking-bar by means of a spring 73. When the selector-disk has been manipulated a sufficient number of times to cause unlocking movement of the bar 51, the tooth 72 will move under the lug and the latter will fall behind said tooth, and thus hold the bar in unlocking position, so that said bar cannot be restored by means of its spring 58, and the bar will be thus held until the receiver is removed from the hook and the yokelike lock 36 is swung upward by the upward movement of the receiver-hook, at which time the lug 75 of thelocking-yoke 36 will engage the front end of the lever 70 and move the rear end upward until the lug 71 is out of engagement with the tooth 7 2, whereupon the spring 58 moves the locking-bar in the direction of the yoke in readiness to again lock said yoke when the receiver-hook is depressed.

The lever 70 is provided with a slot 76, into which enters a pin 77, carried by an arm 78, that is secured to or formed integral with the pawl 38. When the pawl 38 is down in locking position, the pin 77 is in the rear portion of the slot 76 and maintains the lug 71 of lever 70 in elevated position, where it cannot engage with the tooth 72 of the locking-bar even if the latter were moved to unlocking position, and it is only when the electromagnet 41 is energized and the pawl 88 elevated that the lug 71 will remain in position and lock the bar 51 in released position.

The circuit of each local station may be traced from line 1 to contact 49, contact lever or arm 44, wire 80, electromagnet &1, wire 81, contact 24, lever 26, contact 25, wire 82, to the main wire 1 and thence to central, the several stations being connected in series and both ends of the line grounded or connected to a return-wire.

In operation if subscriber No. 5 wishes to talk to subscriber No. 2 said subscriber No. 5 will move his lever 18 live times, releasing it each time and permitting it to return under theinfluence of spring19. This will move the selector-disk five steps, and at each step the lever 26 will move from engagement with the contacts 24 and 25, breaking the circuit five times and operating the relay at centralm to cause the sounding of the alarm or the display of the indicator, notifying central that subscriber No. 5 wishes to open communication. At the end of the fifth movement the pin 61 of subscriber No. 5 will engage the too 66 and bell-crank lever 64: will be moved, the movement being transmitted to the lug 65 and locking-bar 51, moving the latter away from the shoulder 50 of the locking-yoke 86, and the toothed end of the arm 55 entering one of the notches 10. During this movement the pawl 11 will engage the notches and hold the disk in the position to which it is adjusted, and during this time all of the electromagnets 41 will be energized, the latter occurring each time the circuit is closed, and at the completion of the movement the magnets will be energized, the circuit being finally closed, and the pawl 38 will be held up out of the way. When the locking-bar 51 has moved to the rear, the lug 71 of the lever engages the tooth 72 of the locking-lever and'holds the same in the position to which it is adjusted, the parts remaining in this position until the receiver is removed from the book, whereupon the locking-yoke, being free, will rise, with the hook, to the position shown in Fig. 3, and on so doing the lock 75 will engage the outer end of the lever 7 O, and thus move the lug 71 from engagement with the tooth 72. The locking-bar is then free to move back under the influence of the spring 58', but is held, owing to the fact that the pin 61 still engages toe 66. The handle 18 and shaft 2 are now forced in until the pawl 8 rides up one of the cam-surfaces? of the large cylindrical portion 6. This moves the pawl 11 out of engagement with the notch 10, and the disk starts to revolve in the opposite direction under the influence of the spring 14. As the several pins 22 pass the toe 30 of bell-crank lever 27 the toe will yield, and in case of accidental passage of the pin 61 beyond the toe 66 this toe will also yield, the disk turning backward until the tooth 16 engages the pin 17 and the disk is stopped in its initial position. The parts are then free to move toward the locking position and are not locked fully until the locking-yoke is restored to its normal position by the receiver-hook, after which the final locking movement takes place, the

locking-bar passing under the shoulder 50 of the yoke. After this signal has been sent to central, central answers the call and ascertains that subscriber No. 5 wishes to communicate with subscriber No. 2. Central thereupon rings in the usual manner, notifying subscriber No. 2 that he is wanted. Subscriber No. 2 must then manipulate his lever or the handle 18 twice, and the pin 61 at his station will at the proper time engage the toe 66 of move the contact-bar 44 from engagement with the contact 49, thus opening the line and causing the deenergizing of all of the electromagnets and the movement of all of the pawls 38 into positive locking engagement with the shoulders 37 of the locking-levers. This positively prevents any person from raising the receiver-hook, and so long as the receiverhooks cannot be raised the local talking-circuits controlled by the receiver-hook contacts cannot be closed, and the conversation cannot be overheard.

In order to notify the persons along the line that the line is busy, the pawl 38 carries a small pointer 90, extending outward through.

a suitable opening in the casing, and when all of the pawls 38 are down and in looking position the pointer will be opposite the Word Busy. W'hen moved to unlocking position,

the pawls will all point to the word Clear,

\ thus indicating that the line is in readiness for use.

In order that the operator at the central station may be advised of the number of the partyline calling where several party-lines are connected together by a central station, each of the party-lines is provided with a drop 97, having an electromagnet in circuit with the main calling-line, and when said magnet is deenergized the drop falls and displays the number of the line. ,At each of the subscribers stations is a push-button or similar circuitcontrolling device 95, which the calling subscriber depresses before commencing the ordinary calling operation. This will immediately cause the drop at the central station to fall, and thus notifying the central-station operator. After waiting an appreciable period of time the selecting mechanism of the subscriber is operated, so that there will be no danger of the operator mistaking the ordinary call caused by the movement of the push-button for one of the signals sent by the selecting device:

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is- 1. In telephone signaling and lock out mechanisms, a receiver-hook, a receiver-hook lock at each local station, a manually-operable selecting means movable at each station a clifferent number of times for permitting release of the lock, and means operable on each of said movements for transmitting a signal to central.

tems, a receiver-hook, a receiver-hook lock at each local station, a step-by-step mechanism for controlling the unlocking movement of the receiver-hook, a circuit-closing device under the control of said step-by-step mechanism for transmitting signals to a central station.

4:. In telephone signaling and lock-out systems, a receiver-hook. a receiverhook-locking member, a locking-bar therefor, a manuallyoperable step-by-step selecting means at each local station for withdrawing the locking-bar at the completion of a predetermined number of operations.

5. An intermediate-station receiver-hook lock-out comprising a receiver-hook, a receiver-hook-engaging member, a locking-bar therefor, and a manually-operable step-bystep selecting mechanism arranged at the station and serving to positively withdraw the locking-bar at the end of a predetermined number of operations.

6. An intermediate-station receiver-hook lock-out including a receiver-hook, a receiverhook-engaging member, a locking-bar therefor, a step-by-step selecting device for withdrawing the bar, and means for preventing excess movement of such selecting device.

7. An intermediate-station receiver-hook lock-out including a receiver-hook, a receiverhook-engaging member, a slidable locking-bar therefor, a step-by-step selecting device at each station for withdrawing the bar, means for preventing excess movement of the'selecting device, and means for restoring said selecting device to initial position.

8. An intermediate-station receiverhook lock-out including a receiver-hook, a receiverhook-engaging member, a slidable locking-bar therefor, a spring tending to move the lockingbar to engaging position, a selector-disk, means for imparting step-by-step rotative movement thereto, a pin or lug carried by the disk, an arm engageable by said pin or lug and serving to withdraw the locking-bar, and means for temporarily holding the lockingbar in disengaged position in advance of the removal of the receiver from the hook.

9. An intermediate-station receiver-hook lock-out including a receiver-hook, a receiverhook-engaging member, a slidable locking-bar therefor, and a spring tending to hold the bar in locked position, a pivoted arm having a tooth at its free end, said arm being pivotally connected to the bar, a selecting-disk having a notch, means for imparting a step-by-step movement to the disk, a bell-crank lever engageable by the bar, a pin or lug carried by the disk and engaging a second arm of the bell-crank lever, and a pivoted lever for engaging and temporarily holding the lockingbar in release position until the removal of the receiver from the hook.

10. In telephone signaling and lock-out mechanism, a receiver-hook, a receiver-hooklocking means at each station, a signaling-line connected to each station, spaced contacts arranged in said line, a circuit-closing means IIS normally in engagement with said contacts, a step-by-step selecting-disk for controlling unlocking of the receiver-hook, a pin or lug carried by the disk, and means operable by said pin or lug for moving said circuit-closing means from engagement with said contacts.

11. In mechanism of the class described, a selector-disk having peripheral teeth. a pawl engaging said teeth, a spring tending to restore the disk to initial position, means for stopping the disk in such initial position, a shaft extending through the center of the disk, an arm for operating the shaft, a ratchetwheel secured to the shaft and having a cylindrical portion of greater diameter than the major diameter of the ratchet, a pawl carried by the disk and engaging the teeth of the ratchet-wheel, said shal't being longitudinally adjustable to force the enlarged cylindrical portion of the ratchet-Wheel under the inner pawl and means for transmitting the movement of the shaft to the disk-engaging pawl, thereby to move both pawls to disengaged position.

12. In telephony, a receiverhook, a receiver-hook lock in the form of a pivoted lever, a pawl for engaging the lock, an electromagnet, an armature disposed Within the field of force of the electromagnet and connected to the pawl, a slidable bar for engaging the lock, a notched'disk, means for imparting step-by-step movement to the disk, a pivotally-mounted arm connected to the bar and having teeth adapted to enter one of the notches of the disk, a bell-crank lever having one arm engaging the bar, a pin carried by the disk and engaging the opposite arm of the bell-crank lever, a pivoted lever adapted to engage and lock the bar in release position, said lever having a slot, and an arm carried by the pawl, said arm having a pin or lug entering the slot, substantially as specified.

13. In telephony, a receiver-hook, a receiver-hook lock, and independently-operable devices for engaging said lock, one of said devices being under the control of an electromagnet and the other being manually operable.

14L. In telephony, a receiverhook, a receiver-hook lock, an electromagnetically-controlled locking device disposed in a normally closed circuit, and normally held in inoperative position, and a manually-operable selecting mechanism for releasing said lock.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as our own we have hereto alfixed our signatures in. the presence of two witnesses.

THURSTON MATHENY. RUBEN G. M. HASTINGS Witnesses:

C. D. HOPKINS, J. S. BiasoM. 

